Improvement in band-ruffles



` Pig. 1+.

Inventor.

Witnesses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. lVOOS'IER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO E. O. WOOSTER, 0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENTl IN BAND-RUFFLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,923, dated November l, 1864 antedated To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE H. WoosrER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Band- Itnfile for Ladies7 and other Garments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs.

This invention consists in a new kind ot trimming or ruflie composed of a strip of plaited or gathered muslin or other cloth inserted into a double band, which is formed by folding a strip of muslin or other material along the middle of its width and turning in both edges, such band and plaited or gathered strip being united by a single row of stitching, which also serves both to secure the plaits` or gathers and to secure the two edges of the band in their turned-in condition, forming a rutile which is alike on both sides at the union ot' the plaited strip and band and without a raw edge ot' the cloth on either side.

Sheet I ot' the drawings represents my improved rufile. Figure l is a face View; Fig. 2, an edge view; Fig. 3, a transverse section. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the plaited stri p.

Similar let-ters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in all the gures on the abovementioned sheet.

A is the plaited strip, and B the doubled band, into which it is stitched. c o is the single line of stitching, by which the stripAis secured in the band, and which also serves to secure the plaits and the turned-in edges e e, Fig. 4, ofthe band B.

I propose generally in the manufacture ot' this rutile to perform the plaiting ofthe strip A, the folding and turning in of the edges ofthe strip of which the band Bis made, and the stitching together of the strip and band siniultaneously in a sewing-machine, such Inachine being tted with a plaiting device and a device for folding and turning in the edges of the band, and these devices being so arranged relatively to the feeding apparatus and the needle ofthe machine that the plaited strip is delivered into the band, and both are fed together to the needle.

Sheet II of the drawings represents the con struction, arrangement, and combination ot the plaiting folding devices. Fig. l is a top View, showing the arrangement ot' the said devices upon the bed-plate of a sewing-machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, corresponding with Fig. l. Figs. 3 and are opposite end views of the plaitiug and folding de- B is the folder or folding-guide by which' the turning in ot' the edges of and the longitudinal folding of the band of the ruffie are performed, said folder being attached rigidly,

to the gage-plate O and secured to the bedplate A by a screw, D, and steady-pins b b. This folder B is made of brass or other metal, and has one end of the form of a tube and nearly itat, as shown in Fig. 3, the width of the said tube being equal to the width of the strip of cloth of which the band ot' the ruftie is to be formed, such strip heilig shown in seetion in red color iu Fig. 2. At a short distance from the end shown in Fig. 3 one side of the tube is cutaway, leaving a guide in the' form of a transversely-curved plate, with its edge turned over on the concave side, as shown in Fig. 4, and toward the other end its curvature increases, and the turning in of the edges is increased until the plate is in the forni ot' the letter V or nearly double, and its edges have' a complete double turn, as shown at c c in Fig. 4, so that the strip, entering at the end shown in Fig. 3 and being drawn through, will come out folded along the center and with both edges turned in, as shown in red outline in Fig. eti/t. The arrangement of this folder upon the sewing-machine is such that this folding of the band may be effected in the movement ofthe latter toward the needle by the ordinary feeder, r, ofthe machine. The marginal portions o o ot' the folder, by which the edges of the band are turned inward, do not extend quite to the needle-hole d, but are out away at some distance therefrom, as shown at s in Figs. 1, 8*, and 5, though the portion which produces the central fold extends some distance beyond the needle-hole to preserve the form ofthe fold while the stitching is being performed.

E is a guide for the strip of cloth of which the frill ot' the ruffle is to be formed, consisting of a flat metal tube of a width equal to that of the said` strip arranged in front of and partly within the folding-guide or folder B, parallel with the feed-movement, to deliver the strip between the two edges of the band as the latter issues from the folder and approaches the needle. This guide has aslight downward inclination toward the needle, and its lower end rests on the bed-plate close to the feeding device and the needle-hole, and its bottom part, i', is made with projections ff to enable it to pass between and atthe sides of the toothed surface of the feeding-dog. The upper part of the said guide has near its sides two longitudinal slits, g g, commencing at a short distance from the end farthest from the needle and extending to the end next the needle, and the end of the tongue It thus formed is made to press upon the strip in passing through the guide, and lso keep it flattened and produce friction enough upon it to keep it straight on its way into the band. The said tongue h is shortened, so that it does not extend so near to the needle-hole by from a quarter to threecighths of an inch as the bottom part, ,ot'

` the guide, (sce Fig. 2,) thereby leaving the said part i exposed for the plaiting or rufiling knife F to work upon, as will bepresentlydescribed. rlhis guide E is attached rigidly to the lower part of the guide or folder l-S.

The plaiting or ruffling knife is made with a straightand moderately-sharp but'not a cutting edge, of a length equal to the width of the strip of which the ruffle is to be composed, the said edge being arranged at right angles to the feed movement. The said knife is attached by an elastic shank,j, to a bent lever, G, the said shank keeping the edge pressed harddown upon the bottom part of the guide and holding the knife with a downward inclination t0- ward the needle-hole at an angle ofabout thirty degrees to the surface of t'. 'lhe lever G works on a ixed fulcrum, t,at the back of the bedplate, and derives motion in one direction from the rod which works the needle-arm aladin the opposite direction from a spring, Lor lies imparted to it by any other mechanical means the necessary motion to produce a movement ment before lthe feed, and when the knife has moved a distance equal to the intended width of the plaits the feed movement commences, and the movement of the knife continues at the same speed as the feed movement, while the latter carries both band and ruffle toward the needle.

rlhe presser H of the sewing-machine is made of a width sufficient to cover the whole width of the ruffle and a sufficient portion of the band, but it is made shorter than usual at the end where the work enters beneath it, in 0rd er to allow the knife to come close or nearly close to the needle, and its under side is beveled atthat end to allow the knife to pass under and push the plaits under it as it gathers them up by its movement toward the needle. The operation of gathering up the plaits is illustrated in Fig. (i, where the strip which forms the rulie is shown in red color.

The sewing-machine in connection with' which these folding and plaiting devices are applied to manufacture my ruffle may be of any of the kinds in common use.

The operation of manufacturing the rufieis as follows: The strip of cloth to form the band e is inserted through the guide B, and the longer strip to form the ruffle, which has been previously hemmed along one edge, is inserted through the guide E and under the knife F, and with its hemmed edge in front or outward, and the ends of both strips brought under the presser, and when the presser has been let down upon them the machine is set in operation as for ordinary sewing. As the two strips are drawn forward by the feed-movement the band is folded aud has its edges turned in, and the ruffle-strip is delivered into the fold of the band and ruffled by theaction of the knife, as hereinbefore described, and sewed into the band by the needle passing through both the upper and lower part of the band, close to the edges thereof. ln the ruftling operation the knife F is prevented from acting on the under part of the band by the extension of the lower part, fi, A

of the guide E beyond the upper part and below the knife, the said part of the band passing` under the extended portion of t', and the ruffle-strip passing over it for the knife to act upon, and the said extended portion protecting the lower part of the band from the action ofthe knife. When the plaited strip has been stitched into the band the part close to the band lies dat, as shown in Fig. 4; but after the ruffle leaves the presser of the sewing-machine the fullness of the plaited strip causes it to assume at its outer edge a wavy form, substantially as shown in Fig. l.

I do not confine myself to the use of the particular means herein described of manufacturing my rutile, but have described the means which I at present believe to be the best suited to the purpose. The ruffle might be made entirely by hand, or the band might be folded and the frill plaited separately and the two merely stitched together in the sewing-machine; but itis obvious that it will be more economical to perform the several operations simultaneously by attaching the folding and plaiting devices to a sewing-machine.

I do not claim the employment of a single series of stitches to secure the plaits or gathers Vin a strip of cloth, and to secure the said strip to a band or binder, as that is now well-known; nor do I claim the combination and arrangement of mechanism herein described for forming my double-band ruffle, as that is the subject of an application for Letters Patent filed in the Patent Ofiline by Thomas Robjohn; but

What I claim as my invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The Within described band -rnflling, composed of a plaited or gathered strip and a double band having the saidstrip inserted into and between opposite portions of it, and having its edges turned inward, such strip and band being united by a single row of stitching, which also serves the two other purposes of securing the plaits or gathers and ot' securing the tnrnedin edges ot' the band.

GEORGE H. WOOSTER. 'Vitnesses:

HENRY T. BROWN, J AMES LAIRD. 

